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Strengthen Your Hips with One Move

This simple exercise will help stabilize your hips for all three triathlon disciplines.

by Christopher Johnson

A common denominator among high-level athletes, irrespective of their sport, is exceptional body control. This holds true for IRONMAN athletes, who need to maintain form across three disciplines while battling fatigue. Sound body control in each discipline of triathlon starts with hip strength and trunk stability. Swimming involves rotating the body around a longitudinal axis while maintaining a horizontal position. The low back, pelvis and hips must work in a synchronized manner for this to occur. Cycling involves maintaining a relatively fixed low back and pelvic position to enable the hips to produce force from a stable base. Lastly, in running, hip strength and stability help minimize excessive torso motion, helping the athlete conserve energy and maintain an upright position.

Exercise: the Bridge

A simple and effective exercise that challenges hip strength and trunk control is the bridge. While several variations of the bridge exist, I’m sharing a simple progression that I often have clients master before moving on to more advanced versions. The beauty of this exercise is that it can be done in the comfort of your home and requires no equipment. Watch the video below for instruction, and progress, by increasing the number of repetitions and/or the hold time. No matter your age or ability, you will benefit from this progression, which can be done both in season and for maintenance during the off-season. If you are suffering from pain and dysfunction in your low back, pelvis and/or hips, please consult a licensed medical professional to determine if these exercises are appropriate for you.

Purpose: Strengthen the low back, hip, and trunk musculature while challenging spinal control

Objective: Perform each of the three exercises in sequence without breaking form and technique

Equipment: Rug, mat and a pillow for comfort as needed.

Success: Performing one round while maintaining proper form and technique such that your hips and pelvis stay square throughout the exercise.

Mastery: Completing three bouts with 30 seconds rest while maintaining good form and technique.

Chris Johnson is a Seattle based physical therapist and triathlete. He currently manages patients out of Olympic Physical Therapy and renders performance coaching and clinical education through head2toesystems.com.